


laughter lines

by bi_habibi



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Hurt, I'm just making myself cry for this, emo on main for yukka everyday, i am not sorry for the pain i cause, i just...sokka and yue...them the ANGST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_habibi/pseuds/bi_habibi
Summary: “I’ll see you,” Yue murmured, tucking Sokka’s hair behind his ear.“When?” Sokka asked, not meeting her eyes.“In the future,” she replied.
Relationships: Sokka/Yue (Avatar)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 67





	laughter lines

“I’ll see you,” Yue murmured, tucking Sokka’s hair behind his ear.

“When?” Sokka asked, not meeting her eyes.

“In the future,” she replied.

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Sokka gave a small scoff. They were sitting on his bed, the only thing yet to be packed up. Boxes lined the walls, the shelves empty from all of his knick-knacks and hockey trophies. He was moving. Tomorrow. _Leaving Yue_. He felt the stinging behind his eyes grow stronger, his throat burning from held back sobs. He finally met her gaze, her dark brown eyes staring back into his. Sokka let a tear fall.

“I don’t want to go,” he mumbled.

“I know,” Yue replied.

There was a soft knock on the door, Hakoda was standing there smiling softly. Sokka glanced at him, then looked away. 

“Still mad at me?” Hakoda asked.

Sokka said nothing in reply.

Hakoda sighed, “I know it sucks, son, but we aren’t moving that far, we’ll still be in the state.”

Sokka rolled his eyes, they were moving from Utqiagvik to Anchorage. That’s across the _whole state_. And Alaska, not a small state. Not like Rhode Island. It’s not like Sokka could drive from Anchorage to Utqiagvik to visit, Sokka couldn’t even drive yet. He was only fifteen, anyways. He could fly out and visit, but he didn’t want to even leave.

“Can’t I just stay here, with Yue?” Sokka asked.

Hakoda sighed, again and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Sokka,” he started.

“Why do I even have to go?” Sokka interjected, annoyed, “It’s not my job that’s moving! It’s not even yours! It’s Bato’s! Why do we have to go with him? Can’t we just stay here and he comes and visits?”

Hakoda’s face fell into a sharp frown, “ _Sokka_ ,” his voice stern.

Sokka fell quiet, Hakoda left the room and closed the door. Yue was rubbing small circles on his back, trying to comfort him.

“Why don’t we go for a walk?” Yue asked, suddenly.

* * *

Sokka grasped her hand tightly, as they walked along a dirt road behind his house. They were standing on either edge of the road, arms outstretched to hold hands. It was a chilly, cloudy day. The sky was grey and overcast, the trees swayed in the breeze. They were chatting idly, talking about nothing. It was easier that way, to pretend.

Pretend Sokka wasn’t leaving.

That Yue wouldn’t wake up tomorrow without her best friend.

They walked towards the lake that was near Sokka’s house. Or his soon-to-be-old house. Sokka tried to push that thought away. They walked towards the edge of the lake, still holding hands. He plopped onto the damp, cold sand, pulling her down with him. Yue giggled, pushing her braids behind her back. Sokka stared at her, her dark brown hair in two braids on either side of her hair. Her blue and white jacket pulled closely to her, her jeans dirty from the sand. Her white sneakers scuffed to no end. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them close to her chest. Sokka didn’t want to leave her. Yue turned to him, her brown eyes meeting his. Sokka felt his cheeks heat up.

“Hey,” he said.

Yue grinned, “Hey.”

Sokka scooted closer to her, trying to casually place his arms around her shoulders, act like he was not nervous. That his heart was not beating out of his chest. Yue dropped her head onto his shoulder and Sokka’s breath hitched. Yue didn’t seem to notice. 

“I’m gonna miss you,” Sokka whispered.

“I’ll miss you too, but I’ll come visit, I promise,” Yue whispered back.

“Let’s take one more picture,” Sokka said, “Before I go.”

Yue nodded, “Okay.”

Sokka pulled out his phone and pulled up the camera, flipping it to the front view camera. Yue leaned in closer, flashing a smile Sokka could only describe as beautiful. Sokka grinned for the camera, clicking the button, capturing the moment. The picture wasn’t the best. It was a little blurry, and the overcast of grey clouds made it more somber than happy, but Sokka sent it over to Yue. Yue changed her phone background to it immediately, Sokka did the same. Before Sokka could mentally talk himself out of it, he leaned over and pressed a kiss onto Yue’s cheek. Her smile got wider, with a hint of a blush on her cheeks. They sat in silence for a few moments, Yue resting her head on Sokka’s shoulder, Sokka holding her tightly. 

“We..should probably head back, it’s getting late,” Yue mumbled.

“Yeah,” Sokka sighed. 

Sokka hauled himself up and offered his hand, helping Yue up. They walked back in silence, their hands clasped tightly together, fingers intertwined. By the time they got back to Sokka’s house, it was dark. The stars twinkling in the ink-black sky. Hakoda offered to drive Yue home, Sokka couldn’t bring himself to go with her. 

* * *

Anchorage sucked, Sokka decided. He hated it here. It was big, noisy, and the kids at school were annoying. Katara had adjusted fine, making friends with a boy named Aang and a girl named Toph. Sokka had met a girl named Suki and a boy named Zuko and had sat with them a lunch a few times, he liked them. But he still hated it here. Bato and Hakoda seemed content, Bato loved his new job, teaching at the university. Everyone was happy, but him. He was sitting on the roof that stuck out under his window to his new room, his stuff all still in boxes. He had refused to unpack any of them and it’s been nearly a month. Hakoda had given up on convincing him of trying to enjoy his new home. Sokka stared out at the moon, wondering if Yue was looking at it too.

As if on cue, Sokka’s phone rang. It was Yue, she wanted to FaceTime. Sokka nearly dropped his phone off the roof trying to answer. He and Yue had only texted since he left, Sokka unable to bring himself to call or FaceTime because he was sure he’d cry seeing or hearing her voice.

He missed her a lot.

He could already feel the tears pricking behind his eyes when her face popped up on his phone. 

“Hey!” she said, cheerfully, “How is Anchorage?”

Sokka rolled his eyes, “It _sucks_.”

Yue chuckled, “Well, it’ll suck less soon!”

“I doubt that,” Sokka muttered, resting his chin in his hand, propping his arm up on his knee.

Yue chuckled again, waving a white rectangle on screen, “Trust me, it will!”

Sokka squinted at his screen, “What is that?”

“A plane ticket, idiot! I’m coming to visit!” Yue giggled, still waving the paper.

Sokka froze, his brain processing what she said.

“Sokka? You there?” Yue asked, pressing her face into the phone so Sokka could only see one of her brown eyes. 

“Yeah, I am! You’re...you’re coming to visit?! When!?” Sokka said, trying to keep from yelling and waking his neighbors or his family.

“This weekend! I already talked to your dad,” she said, pulling back, grinning.

Sokka felt his heart leap into his throat at her smile. 

“I’ll be there on Friday, when you get out of school!” Yue said, the excitement clear in her voice.

“F-Friday!?” Sokka said, this week was going to be so long.

Yue giggled and flashed another smile, Sokka was going to get to see that smile again in person, this weekend. 

“I thought about just showing up and surprising you, but Hakoda said you might pass out from sheer excitement, so I decided to tell you,” Yue said.

His dad was probably right. 

Sokka was at a loss for words, unsure what to say now, he settled for staring sappily into his phone, Yue smiling just as sappily back.

“I..I’ve missed you,” Sokka says, quietly.

Yue’s cheeks turn pink, “I’ve missed you, too.”

_I love you_ , hangs in the air, unspoken.

* * *

The week went by _painfully_ slow. Everytime Sokka checked the clock or his phone, only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like _hours_. At least it was finally Friday. Except it was only the first period. Still. Sokka rubbed his eyes, he hadn’t paid attention at all in English class so far, and Suki seemed to notice. She nudged his ankle with her foot and he glanced at her. She pointed to the page in her book, Sokka had to put on his glasses to see the numbers, then he quickly flipped to the right page. 

“Sokka?” Mr. Jeong said.

Sokka lifted his head, praying he wasn’t being called on, he had no idea what was going on.

“Yes?”

“You’ve been called to the principal’s office, you need to go now.”

Sokka blinked at him, had he done something wrong already? He couldn’t think of anything he had done. Everyone was staring at him, confused. Sokka just nodded, packing up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder and headed to the principal’s office. Mr. Jeong just gave him a look, Sokka couldn’t decipher it. He headed down the hallway, his footsteps echoing seemingly loud since no one was in class. His stomach was twisted with nerves. When he reached the principal’s office, his dad and Bato were there. Katara came up a moment later, apparently also having been called from class. 

The looks on Hakoda and Bato’s faces were as indecipherable as Mr. Jeong’s. Sokka’s nerves kicked into high gear, something was wrong. The principal, Piandao, opened the door, gesturing for them to come in. They shuffled on it, Katara and Sokka glancing at each other. Piandao stepped out, closing the door behind him, the room felt suffocating. No one said anything for a moment.

“Dad…” Sokka said, his voice already cracking, “What’s going on?”

Sokka had felt like this before, when his mom died in a car accident when he was eight. The look his dad gave him confirmed the feeling growing in Sokka’s stomach.

“Honey,” he said softly.

There were already tears in Sokka’s eyes.

“Honey...I’m so sorry, Sokka...I’m so sorry,” Hakoda’s voice cracked.

Sokka felt like the air was being sucked out of his lungs. Katara gripped his forearm, digging her nails in to try and steady him.

“Sweetheart...the plane...it crashed,” Hakoda said, his voice barely a whisper.

“T-The plane?” Sokka repeated, confused.

Hakoda took a shaky breath, Bato was also crying. Sokka could hear Katara sniffle behind him. Sokka shook his head, the room was closing in on him. Sokka couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe. He fell to his knees, shaking his head.

“The plane crashed?” Sokka repeated.

His voice didn’t sound like his own. It was hoarse and raspy and thick with tears.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie, there...there weren’t any survivors,” Hakoda murmured.

Hakoda had lowered himself to Sokka’s level, wrapping him in a hug. Sokka stared at the wall in front of him. Sokka broke. He sobbed into his dad’s shoulder, gripping the front of Hakoda’s shirt. 

She was gone.

_Yue was_ _gone_.

* * *

Sokka had never wanted to leave Utqiagvik. He had never wanted to move to Anchorage. 

Now he had never wanted to come back.

The funeral was small and simple. There wasn’t even a body in the casket. The thought of that made Sokka too sick to think about. He hadn’t been able to sit until the end, he was sitting against the bathroom wall in the funeral home. He _knew_ he looked like a wreck. His black shirt was crumpled and wrinkled, his eyes red and puffy, his wolftail had fallen out in several places. He was fumbling with his shoelaces when his phone buzzed with a text from Zuko. When Sokka saw his lockscreen, the picture of him and Yue. The last picture they ever took together, Sokka got sick all over again. He was trembling all over while clinging to the sides of the toilet. There was a soft knock on the stall he was occupying.

“Sokka?” a voice asked.

It was Arnook, Yue’s father.

Sokka wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Yeah?”

“You alright?”

Sokka wanted to scream, _of course I’m not alright! My best friend just died!_ , but he didn’t.

“Y-Yeah,” he mumbled.

There was a pause, before Arnook walked away. Sokka leaned himself back against the wall. He stared at the other wall of the stall for a few moments, before hauling himself up. He walked over to the sink and splashed some water on his face. He attempted to straighten out his shirt and fix his hair, but he still looked like a wreck. He quietly slipped out of the bathroom, hoping to go unnoticed until he was outside. It didn’t work. Arnook clamped his hand onto Sokka’s shoulder. Sokka couldn’t bring himself to look the older man in the eyes.

“Here,” Arnook whispered, placing something in Sokka’s hands.

Sokka looked down at it. It was a small, wooden figurine. It was supposed to be a fish. It did not look like a fish. Sokka had carved it for Yue for her fifth birthday. On the back of it, it was engraved “for Yue” in five year old Sokka’s handwriting. Sokka felt himself feel sick again.

“She’d want you to have it,” Arnook said, giving Sokka’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

He walked away, leaving Sokka to cradle the little figurine. Sokka broke again, sobbing helplessly as he held the first thing he had ever made for her. Katara found him standing in the hallway, she gingerly placed her hands over his, leading him outside to Hakoda and Bato. Outside, Sokka noticed that the sky was grey and overcast. Like the day before he had left.

The wake at Arnook’s house was even harder than the funeral. Sokka could see Yue in everything. The memories they shared together played in his brain like a movie, from when they were babies to teenagers. Sokka found himself holed up in her room, sitting on her bed. It was untouched, some of her clothes still tossed around, her notebooks scattered on her desk. Her bed was perfectly made. Sokka felt his throat closing up at the thought of her running around, packing excitedly. No one came to get him, to tell him to leave and join them. Not until it was time to leave.

* * *

Sokka sat on his roof in Anchorage, it was past midnight. The boxes finally unpacked and his stuff put away in his room. He traced the outline of the figurine. The fish stared back at him, mockingly. Sokka felt a sudden surge of anger and tossed the figurine out into the world. He immediately regretted it, however, climbing back inside and walking downstairs and out the front door. He ran into the road and picked up the figurine, which was unharmed.

“I’m sorry,” Sokka whispered to the figurine, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have gotten mad. I-I...why Yue? Why did you have to leave? _It’s not fair_ . Why did you have to leave? You said we’d see each other in the future, you _promised_.”

The figurine just stared back at him. Sokka let out a sob and sat down in the middle of the road. The cold air bit into his skin, but Sokka didn’t care. He lifted his head, staring up at the twinkling stars and the full moon, shining brightly. He stared up at the sky, clutching the figurine in one hand. 

“I know you’re up there Yue,” Sokka murmured, “You’re up there in the sky with the stars and moon. I wish I was up there with you.”

Sokka could see one of the stars twinkling, shining a bit brighter than the others. Sokka gave a sad smile, “It’s okay, Yue. I’ll join you, in the future, I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can come scream at me in the comments or on tumblr @kahtara!


End file.
